'Battlefield 4' Preview: We Play Test EA's 'Levolving' Shooter

'Battlefield 4' is the latest in EA's long-running multi-vehicle war combat simulator, out on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on 29 October and Xbox One/PS4 at launch.

The Pitch:

"Immerse yourself in the glorious chaos of all-out war. New maps, more vehicles, weapons and destruction allow you to create your own path and play to your strengths. Absolutely nothing compares to the sheer scale and scope of Battlefield 4."

Judging by the fanaticism and excitement of the Gamescom hardcore, 'Battlefield 4' is clearly going to be a huge hit for EA and Dice. With a new Frostbite 3 engine, new amphibious vehicles and more destructible environments everything is in place for a solid upgrade and some intense fighting action.

That said, the elements of the game that were on show at Gamescom didn't really showcase anything that truly blew us away. A round of 'Domination' (which returns for this instalment) was fun enough, but offered very little that was new or unexpected. A separate demo of the new 'Parcel Storm' map, which with dynamic weather and the possibility of crashing battleships and flying jetskis on the (admittedly very realistic) waves was more impressive, but again didn't give too much away.

Graphically too, the game still looks a bit too much like its current-gen predecessors. The demo we played was, to be frank, a bit ropey. And the fact that DICE admits it is already having to "compromise in some places" according to VideoGamer doesn't fill us with hope that it will pull away from the pack. On PC it obviously looks great, but we'll have to wait and see whether it fulfils the potential of its launch footage.